


I Hate You (Please Come Back)

by AnimeLover200013



Series: Klance Fanfics [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 14:38:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8060230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeLover200013/pseuds/AnimeLover200013
Summary: The last thing Lance tells Keith, is that he hates him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Voltron or the song lyrics used in this. Voltron is owned by Netflix and the song belongs to Taylor Swift.

Keith couldn’t even remember how the fight started. All he knew was that, for the first time since he had grabbed Lance by his stupid, perfectly taken-care of face and kissed him, he wanted to hurt the other. He supposed that’s why he had said it. 

“At least I became a fighter pilot with my own talent, not because my better got kicked out.” It went completely silent in the room, his words echoing around them. He felt immediate regret, reaching out for his lover, but Lance took a single step back and stopped him. 

“Oh, yeah?” Lance’s voice was shaking with the weight of pure hurt, “well at least I’m not half-monster.” Keith stumbled backwards. The words felt like a physical blow to his chest, all of the wind leaving his lungs in a rush. 

“Lance, wait, I’m so--” Keith tried to reach for him once more, but the blue paladin slapped his hand away. 

“Don’t touch me, Keith. I hate you!” And with that, Lance had fled the room. The words weren’t anything new, Keith supposed. But Lance had never said them with such conviction. Lance had never meant it, before now. 

Hunk had gone after Lance after a moment, muttering something about wanting to make sure he was okay. Shiro had tried to approach Keith, words of comfort on his lips, but Keith had stopped him. It was his fault. He should have never told the person he loved such a terrible thing. 

Later, Lance was absent for dinner and Keith eventually left, unable to eat or talk to the others with his heart in his throat. He had begun the journey back to his room, but stopped right in front of Lance’s. He had woken up in that bed just this morning, legs tangled with Lance’s and head tucked beneath the ice guardian’s chin. Lance had woken up slowly, gradually. His eyes had been drooped with sleep and his smile had been small, but warm. 

Keith knocked on the door. There was no answer. 

“Lance, please open the door. I’m sorry,” Keith called. The hand-print scanner next to Lance’s door flashed gently and Keith absently wondered if he would still have access to Lance’s room, or if he had been completely shut out. “Lance, please.” Still nothing. Keith sighed, turning away from the door and continuing to his own after giving the barrier one last, longing glance. 

In his room, with the lights turned off and the shutters of his window pulled up so that the shinning, ever expanding Universe outside was visible, Keith stared at the ceiling. Before he had wandered into his room, Allura had stopped him in the hallway. She had, had a guilty look on her face, asking if he would be okay to do a mission tomorrow. They had received three different distress calls at once. Shiro and Pidge were already gone, answering one, and Hunk and Lance would be responding the second in the morning. She asked if Keith would be okay taking on a solo mission. He had said yes. 

So now he lay in bed, alone for the first time in a year, staring at the ceiling and wishing that sleep would come to him. It didn’t seem like wishing would be enough, however. Instead, Keith got up and decided that he might as well do something, since it seemed it would be impossible to sleep. 

Just like before, he went to the training room. It had been his safe haven, his hideaway, until he and Lance had gotten together. Lance had said that it was unhealthy to train so much and that he shouldn’t use it as an emotional crutch. After that, he would go to Lance’s room and lay on the other paladin until whatever it was, was washed away by Lance’s affection and terrible puns. 

Keith felt his heart clench at the thought of the shine Lance would get in his eyes when he came up with, yet another, terrible pick-up line and the way his chest would puff with pride when Keith actually laughed at them. Keith was shocked out of his thoughts by the feeling of wetness on his cheeks. He couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that tumbled out of his lips as he brushed away the tears. He really screwed up this time didn’t he? The man he loved hated him now. Truly hated him and refused to talk to him. 

He had collapsed against the wall, not even halfway to the training deck, letting himself slide down the chilled surface until his butt hit the ground. He used to have a warm, safe place to go to when he felt like this. What did he have now? A cold wall and an aching heart. 

That was how Allura found him in the morning. Somehow, he had fallen asleep against the wall, his face stiff with dried tears and eyes crusted. 

“Keith,” Allura, to his surprise, had sat down next to him, “are you sure you are alright for this mission? The call can wait another couple of hours for Shiro and Pidge to return.” She had placed a hand on his arm, her eyes alight with concern. 

“No, no, I’m fine. Just had a rough night. I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Keith responded, rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat.

“Be honest with me,” she demanded, grabbing his wrist before he could stand up. 

“I am. I’m fine, Allura. Please don’t put this fight over the lives of those crew members. They need me,” Keith looked her in the eye, prayed she would believe him. He wouldn’t let people die for this. Allura had spent a good few moments looking at him, eyebrows drawn together, before she had finally nodded. Keith had stood up, ignoring the uncomfortable stretch of his muscles, and helped Allura up. 

Ten minutes later, he was suited up, helmet tucked under his arm, and standing in front of his Lion. 

“The ship isn’t too far away,” Allura had informed him, tucking a stray strand of hair behind pointed ears, “we have been able to pick up five life sources. Your mission is to rescue those people and bring them back here for medical help. Be careful, however. We have been unable to contact the pilot.” Keith had nodded, taking in the information and stowing it away. 

It had been easy to get into his Lion, perching in the seat, and guiding her out of the castle. What hadn’t been easy, was seeing Lance in the hanger right before he left. The blue paladin hadn’t even looked his way, talking animatedly with Hunk and Allura, the other two trying to hide their discomfort at the situation. Keith wanted to yell out for Lance, to apologize when the other wasn’t hidden behind his door, but hadn’t. He wished he had. 

The ship, when Keith found it, was in terrible shape. The hull was dented in and on the brink of bursting. There were numerous scratches and deep cuts in the metal, paint chipped away and completely gone in other spots. Keith was surprised they had been able to send out a distress beacon at all. Gently, he landed his Lion on the top of the ship, swiping a hand over his face so that the suit began feeding oxygen into his helmet. 

“Allura, do you copy?” he asked into the comms. 

“I read. What is your status?”

“I’m disembarking the Red Lion and making my way to the ship,” Keith reported back, pressing a button on his console so that the mouth of his Lion opened. 

“Alright. There should be a hatch to enter the ship near the front. It might be tricky to open though, with all of the surface damage,” she warned. 

“Copy,” Keith jumped off the ramp of his Lion, using his thrusters to guide himself to the ship, before latching onto a handle welded on beside the hatch. “Opening the hatch,” Keith murmured, using his bayard to cut through the twisted metal of the hatch and prying it open. “I’m inside.”

“The five crew members should be towards the back,” Allura told him. The ship wasn’t large, just a small transport vehicle a family would use. His first warning, should have been the smudge of blood on the wall. He pushed himself closer to the stain, running his finger over it. Still wet. 

“Allura, this is recent,” he told her. He should have gotten his bayard out once he saw the body. It was the pilot, more than likely. “Allura--” something slammed into him from the side. He gasped, back hitting a dent in part of the ship’s wall, the knob digging into his spine painfully. Sharp fingers squeezed around his throat, cutting off his air and breaking through the fragile skin. 

“Looks like my trap worked. How simple,” the Galra’s breath fogged Keith’s visor as the towering man leaned in closer. 

“Keith? What is going on!” Allura’s panicked voice called over the comms. The Galran’s purple skin shimmered and distorted with the remnants of a cloaking device, before finally solidifying. Keith’s eyes flicked over the Galran’s shoulder. Four people, the family, were pressed into the back of the ship. The largest two, obviously the parents, were clutching two children to their chests, blood dripping from their lips. The kids were long dead, probably killed when Keith landed. The parents hadn’t lasted much longer. 

Keith reached for the bayard at his side, feeling the handle of his sword against his fingers and slashing at the Galran with a cry of rage. The soldier moved out of the way last second, dark laughter pouring from his chest. 

“This is a paladin of Voltron?” he cackled, waving a clawed hand at Keith, “an unobservant child?” The Galran reached for the dagger strapped to his waist and Keith lunged. It was too constrained in the ship, the walls were too close and Keith found himself unable to put all of his force behind his strikes. The Galra’s dagger lashed out with swift swipes, catching Keith’s wrist and slicing up to the knuckle of the paladin’s thumb. 

“Keith?” Allura tried again, her voice shaking. 

“Allura, I’m gonna need some--gah!” the soldier’s dagger sliced up his shoulder and  
Keith stumbled back, desperately trying to regain his footing. 

His foot caught on something and next he knew he was falling, back hitting the floor with an audible thump, the air leaving his lungs with a whoosh. The body of the pilot was beneath Keith’s own, rigid and unmoving. 

“Honestly, this is too easy,” the Galran sneered, stepping forward slowly, like a predator moving on half-dead prey. Keith scrambled to get his bayard up, blocking what would have been the finishing blow at the last second. The soldier bared down on his weapon, using his strength and weight against Keith. The red paladin could feel his canines elongating, could see the exposed skin on his wrist and hand tinting purple. “This is even better,” the Galran looked completely delighted, “a half-breed runt that can’t even master his footing.” Keith snarled shoving against the Galran’s blade, but to no avail. “You paladins walk around like you’re the saving graces of the Universe, calling us monsters, but you’re half-monster yourself, aren’t you?” Keith faltered. Lance. 

The moment came back to him with force, the look in Lance’s eyes when he had said the same thing. The way he had flinched away from Keith’s touch like he would be infected just by contact. 

Just as quickly as the memories came, they were gone, replaced by a sudden, bright flash of pain. The Galran’s dagger, sleek and shining in the dim light, protruded from Keith’s chest, the purple tint of its blade dulled by red. Keith couldn’t help but stare at it with fascination. The Galran twisted it, setting every nerve in Keith’s body on fire, before wrenching the blade out with a spurt of blood. 

Keith was mildly aware of the Galran standing, wiping his blade off on Keith’s suit, before taking Keith’s bayard and looking it over, grunting with satisfaction. 

“Sleep well, little paladin,” he whispered, chuckling as he climbed through the hatch. Keith felt oddly cold, shivering a bit as he lied there. 

“Keith, please respond! Shiro and Pidge are on their way to your location!” Oh, Allura was still there, wasn’t she? Shiro and Pidge, huh? The thought didn’t make him happy like it should have. 

“No,” he croaked, coughing up red, “don’t...don’t send them.”

“Keith? Hold on, they’re almost there!” 

“Allura,” he needed her to listen, but she wasn’t, “I need you to do something for me.” Why was death so painful? His chest burned and his throat felt so tight. 

“What is it?” she sounded so desperate, and Keith felt a pang of guilt that he was making her feel this way. 

“I need you,” another cough, this time splattering crimson on the chest of his suit, “to  
tell...to tell Lance that I’m sorry. I love him so much,” how could this much blood come out of his body? “Make sure he knows that, please. I...I need you to make sure he knows that, please...please,” God, it hurt to breathe. He could hear Allura talking to him, but he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Eventually, it faded into a dull buzz in the back of his mind. Instead, Keith thought of Lance. Thought of the way his lips always tasted like fruit, which was kinda weird, but it was so Lance. Keith thought of how Lance complained when Keith accidently kicked him in his sleep and how one time Keith had even kicked him completely out of the bed. 

Keith tried to laugh, but no, that hurt way too much. 

Keith thought of the look on Lance’s face when Keith had given him chocolates from some planet they had visited around the time Valentine’s Day would be. He thought of the way Lance had popped a chocolate in his mouth, kissed Keith, and how Lance had passed the chocolate into Keith’s mouth, almost choking him. Keith thought of the nights when he couldn’t sleep, and Lance would sing lullabies to him. One stuck in his head, even now. 

“Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I will be safe and sound,” Lance always had such a beautiful voice. Keith lost count of how many times he had fallen asleep to that voice. 

Dully, he noticed how dark his vision was getting, and knew it wasn’t normal. He was dying. Keith wished Lance was here to sing him to sleep, to tell him everything was going to be alright. Keith wished he would have gotten to kiss Lance one more time or tell him he loved him one more time. 

Lance, he found himself thinking, imagining Lance was right beside him, I love you so much that it hurts. I’m sorry I said those things to you. You’re so amazing and talented and I wish I could tell you that right now, but I can’t. I love you, and everything will be okay. 

Keith smiled to himself and imagined he was curled up next to Lance, safe in his lover’s arms, before shutting his eyes and letting himself drift away.


	2. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of the previous chapter in Lance's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, you guys convinced me. Here's a second chapter, with Lance telling the story. Enjoy!

“Don’t touch me, Keith. I hate you!” the moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. The look on Keith’s face, the utter betrayal and agony, made Lance want to punch himself, but pride held him back. Instead, he turned on his heel and fled the room. His feet carried him to his room on autopilot, only stopping once he was laying in his bed, face down. 

His sheets still smelled like Keith, that weird spicey-sweet scent the red paladin always smelled of. Lance couldn’t help but press his nose into Keith’s side of the pillow, inhaling deeply and letting the memories of the warm morning they had shared wash over him. 

A knock at the door pulled him out of the memories just as quickly.

“Lance? Buddy, it’s me,” Hunk’s voice floated through the door. Lance pressed the button beside his bed to allow the doors to open, and his best friend stepped in the moment after. Hunk shuffled his feet a bit, an awkward look on his face, before he moved forward and sat beside Lance. “You...you wanna talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about,” Lance mumbled back, “you heard everything that happened.”

“Yeah, but, you and Keith have never fought like that. I...I think you need to talk to him, dude,” Hunk’s voice wavered and Lance had to pinch himself to keep tears from coming to his own eyes. 

“I’m still really mad at him,” Lance admitted, “he’s never said something like that to me before. He’s never meant it before.”

“I know, but you’ve never meant that you hated him before either.”

“I don’t. Hate him I mean,” Lance muttered. 

“I don’t think he knows that anymore,” Hunk told him and Lance winced. They had both screwed up, but just thinking about looking at Keith, being the first to apologize for something that he didn’t start, made his stomach clench. 

“Why should I be the first one to say something? It’s always me,” Lance glared at the floor and clenched the sheets in his fist. 

“Lance, this isn’t some middle school argument. You guys are, like,” Hunk pushed his hands together, “super tight. Don’t let something like who apologizes first stop you.” Lance mumbled something that sounded vaguely like an agreement. Hunk sighed and stood up, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You know Keith is emotionally constipated. You should talk to him,” Hunk reminded Lance not to forget dinner before leaving Lance with the Keith-scented sheets. 

Despite Hunk’s reminder, Lance didn’t remember dinner until the programmed “night and day” lights began to dim on the ship and his stomach started protesting. Standing and ignoring the stiffness of his legs, Lance moved toward his door and was stopped by a knock. Was it Hunk? Lance reached for the button beside his bed, but froze when he heard a voice that was definitely not Hunk’s. 

“Lance, please open the door. I’m sorry,” Keith called. Lance bit his lip with indecision. The anger was still there, coiled like a viper in the center of his stomach. But, Keith was here to apologize, wasn’t he? He had just said he was sorry. “Lance, please.” Lance reached for the button again, but stopped once more. His chest felt like it was on fire. Open, close, open, close, open--he could hear Keith’s retreating footsteps as the red paladin finally gave up. Close. 

\--

The morning wasn’t much better. Lance suited up as quickly as he could after breakfast (and listening to Hunk chastise him for not eating dinner), before jogging off to the hanger. Hunk was already down there, talking with Allura. Lance moved to join them, resting an elbow on Hunk’s shoulder and grinning at the princess. That’s when he heard one of the Lion’s start to move. Shiro and Pidge were already gone, chasing after the most immediate distress call they had received. Keith, then. 

Lance could feel eyes boring into his back, but resisted the urge to turn around anyway. A sick, twisted part of him wanted Keith to feel hurt for what he had said, what they had both said. That horrific part of him drowned out the part that just wanted to turn around, climb into the Red Lion, and kiss Keith until he couldn’t remember anything from yesterday. 

So instead, Lance listened to Red fire up and take off, leaving Lance and Hunk behind. 

\--

“You didn’t talk to him, did you?” Hunk sounded disappointed and Lance sighed. 

“No,” Lance tried to look everywhere except at his best friend. 

“Dude, really?”

“I just...I couldn’t look at him. I’m just so angry--”

“Angry enough to let your relationship burn to the ground?” Hunk had that serious,  
no-nonsense tone that he only ever got every once in awhile. 

“Our relationship isn’t going to burn to the ground,” Lance muttered, trying to ignore the way his chest panged at the very thought of never being able to hold Keith’s hand again or kiss his stupid, perfect lips. 

“Really? Allura found him passed out in the hallway on the way to the training room,” Hunk commented.

“I didn’t know that,” Lance murmured. God, Keith was such an idiot. Who decided to train in the middle of the night, just because they couldn’t sleep?

“Yeah. He didn’t eat a lot of dinner either. And you already know he didn’t go to breakfast,” Hunk added. 

“Stop with the guilt tripping, okay? I get it, I fucked up.”

“No, you both screwed up. I already know what’s going on your mind, so I already know that you’re just as screwed up as Keith. What I’m trying to tell you, is that you shouldn’t keep ignoring him. Just,” Hunk wrinkled his nose a bit, “kiss him or something. Whatever you two do to say you're sorry.” Lance thought about it for a second or two, thought about how he missed Keith when he woke up that morning. He thought about how weird it was not to wake up to being suffocated by ten-tons of mullet and made his decision. When he got back, he would apologize to Keith, punch his stupid shoulder, and then he would kiss him like he never kissed him before. 

Or at least, that was the plan.

\--

When Lance landed in the hangar, two things immediately struck him as off. One, Pidge and Shiro weren’t back, which they definitely should have been. Two, Allura and Coran hadn’t come down to the hanger to greet them. 

“Hunk? You getting a bad feeling, too?” Lance cautiously disembarked Blue, taking his helmet off and propping it against his hip. 

“Please tell me our castle isn’t the Galra’s castle again,” Hunk groaned, eyes darting across the hanger like he was just waiting for Galra controlled food goo to come flying out of nowhere. 

“We need to find Allura and Coran,” Lance couldn’t explain it, but something felt wrong. Hunk seemed to pick up on it and nodded, following Lance back up to the main level of the castle. Three minutes later, the pair was in the control room, peering in and seeing only Allura and Coran. 

But it wasn’t the normal scene. 

Allura had tears flowing down her cheeks and she looked a second away from breaking into a million pieces. Coran had his arms wrapped around her shoulder, whispering something to her gently, but none of it seemed to be getting through. 

“Guys,” Lance forced himself to speak through the lump in his throat, “what’s going on.” Allura sobbed, her knees buckling as pure agony ripped through her. 

“We…” Coran, for the first time since Lance had met him, seemed completely lost, “we lost contact with Keith.” 

Lance felt like he had been submerged in ice water, yet not. It was totally worse. Every nerve in his body went numb and he felt like there was nothing in the world, except for the word Keith. 

“What do you mean you lost contact?” Hunk sounded like he was a moment away from joining Allura on the floor. 

“The distress call was a trap. Keith engaged the Galra soldier onboard, but it...it didn’t go well,” Coran’s eyes were misting and his shoulders were quivering minutely, “Shiro and Pidge are on their way to get him.” 

Lance could barely make out the words through the cotton in his mind. Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith.

“Allura? Do you copy?” It was Shiro’s voice, but it didn’t sound like Shiro. It sounded broken.

“Shiro, we’re here. What is Keith’s status,” Coran answered for Allura, the princess’s sobs only growing louder, more soul wrenching. 

“He’s...he’s gone,” there was a strangled sob in the background. Pidge. “We didn’t make it in time.” And this time the cry was from Shiro. 

That was what did Lance in. All at once, everything came crashing in, clamping down on his chest and forcing a cry from his lips. Keith was gone, Keith was gone, Keith was gone, why, why, why? Lance felt like all the air in the Universe wasn’t enough, his lungs aching and burning as he tried desperately to breathe. Lance clawed at his arms, curling in on himself as the agony crashed into his mind.

Keith with his lopsided smile and warm eyes. Keith sitting beside him as Lance reminisced about Earth, about the ocean and his sisters. Keith, with purple skin and glowing yellow eyes, pinning Lance to the ground and kissing the air out of his lungs on their anniversary. Keith, huffing out the cutest chuckle when Lance told a bad joke. 

Keith, face screwed up in pain when Lance told him he was monster. Keith, with his barely held back tears when Lance told him he hated him. Oh god, Lance’s entire being froze, the last thing his lover heard him say was that he hated him. 

A new kind of panic clutched at Lance’s chest, drawing an agonized cry out of his being. Keith died thinking Lance hated him because Lance was too prideful to open his goddamn door. 

He was barely aware of Hunk wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into his warm chest and running his fingers through Lance’s hair, even though there were tears falling from his cheeks and sobs shaking his entire body. Soon, the rest of the team joined Hunk, wrapping their arms around each other and letting all of the agony take them over. 

Lance thought of the way Keith looked when he was sleeping. That frown that was always on his face would be completely wiped away, replaced with a slightly ajar mouth and gently fluttering lashes. Keith didn’t snore, just breathed deeply and soundly, like nothing in the world could disturb him. Then he would wake up and give Lance that tiny little smile and wrap his arms around Lance, pulling him back in and planting a kiss right on his cheek. 

Lance wondered if Keith looked that peaceful now. No, his mind supplied, because he died thinking you hate him. Even though there were no more tears to shed, Lance sobbed and wailed, his heart yearning for his lost lover. 

\--

Lance wasn’t entirely sure how he got to his room, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Keith was gone, so what mattered? His sheets still smelled like him and Lance felt a cry climb up his throat, releasing itself in a whimper. Lance turned onto his stomach, burying his face into the scent of his lover. Of Keith. Oh, God, Keith. 

Keith, who died thinking Lance thought he was a monster. Keith, who died thinking Lance hated him. Lance screamed into the pillow, but it did nothing to lessen the all encompassing pain in his chest. 

What was he supposed to do now? Keith was gone, and there was nothing left for Lance in this world. 

No, there’s Voltron and Earth, his mind reminded him. 

They’re not Keith, his heart responded. 

A gentle flashing out of the corner of his eye drew his attention towards his dresser, where something resembling a tablet sat next to Keith’s hair bands. Lance tried not to look at the hair bands and reached instead for the tablet. This wasn’t his, and it wasn’t Keith’s, so who’s was it? Lance swiped over the screen and found a giant play button waiting for him. 

Lance hesitated a single second, before pressing play. 

“I need you,” Lance’s eyes widened. That was Keith’s voice, “to tell...to tell Lance that I’m sorry. I love him so much.” Lance choked on a sob, tears spilling over his lashes and splashing onto the screen of the tablet. Keith. ““Make sure he knows that, please. I...I need you to make sure he knows that, please...please,” Keith’s voice trailed off there and Lance fought down a wail. His lover was gone. He would never hear that voice again. 

But, Keith loved him. Keith loved Lance and wanted Lance to know that. Keith hadn’t died hating Lance. 

Lance laid back down, curling up around the warmth of the tablet and pressing his face into Keith’s side of the pillow. 

He could feel sleep drag at his eyelids, and right before he fell over the edge and into waiting dreams, a sudden beep from the tablet woke him again. Another play button. Lance didn’t hesitate this time. 

A holographic video flooded into existence, shining a bright blue light into the room. Keith stood in front of the camera, looking so awkward and unsure. 

“Keith?” what was going on? 

“Okay, so, I made this a bit early, but I guess that’s okay,” the holograph shifted its weight and looked back to the camera, “Today we’re going to attack Zarkon’s base.” Lance stiffened. This was what felt like an eternity ago. Lance remembered the panic at watching Keith engage Zarkon, of the fear when they were sucked into the unstable wormhole, without direction or knowledge of where they were going to pop out. Lance remembered holding Keith through his nightmares when they finally made it back home, trying to find someway to comfort his distraught boyfriend while still fighting back his own, suffocating panic. 

“Since I really don’t know how it’s going to go, I thought I’d do this,” holograph-Keith gestured to the camera he was facing, “our anniversary is coming up pretty quick, and I really hope I’m there to do this in person, but since I might not be: Happy Anniversary, Lance. I just…” the awkwardness was back and Lance couldn’t help but grin through the new tears, “Ah, fuck it. I love you a lot. More than you’ll ever really know. Our first date, when we were sitting in the observatory and you were pointing out all of the constellations and making new ones, I’ve never been happier. I never wanted that night to end, even if you did smear whip cream all over my face before we left,” Keith wrinkled his nose in that way he does whenever he’s thinking of something annoying and Lance couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter from escaping his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you know that I’m so glad we found each other. I don’t think there’s anyone in this Universe that could make me as happy as you do. I love you, Lance, and happy anniversary.” 

Keith reached off camera then, and suddenly there was a party popper in his hand. He pulled the string and winced when it popped, confetti shooting everywhere. “Shit, I really hope that didn’t wake anyone up,” Keith rushed to the camera, shutting it off. The hologram folded in on itself and the screen of the tablet went dark. 

Lance reached up, wiping away the tears that still dropped from his eyes. He almost choked on the giggle that jumped out of his throat, but once he started, he couldn’t stop. Eventually, the laughter died back down into silence and Lance felt lighter than before. Keith had made that just for him. Keith, who hated anything that created a mess, had somehow gotten a party popper and set it off in his room just for Lance. 

Lance rolled over on his bed, pulling the blankets over his body and pressing his nose into Keith’s side of the bed. Once he was settled, he pressed play again, looking up as the holograph rose into the sky. 

Lance fell asleep to his boyfriend’s voice and the scent of a spicy summer, and dreamt of constellations and the feeling of his lover’s face pressed against his.


End file.
